Weight loss systems commonly advance the notion that simply limiting a person's food consumption in relation to their energy expenditure will result in weight loss. Typically, a person's diet is recognized as vital to a person's healthy wellbeing. It is further recognized that sleep, stress levels, smoking and activity levels, to name a few, factor into a person's wellness and resulting weight loss. Yet despite the importance of behavioral activity to weight loss programs, the prior weight loss programs do not incorporate overall wellness factors for managing weight control and wellness. Instead, common weight loss programs involve counting a person's caloric intake and advise simply ingesting a calorie value less than the total number of calories burned by that person in a typical day. A person burns energy, measured in calories, every day in order to stay alive. For example, a number of calories are burned during sleep determined by, for example, a person's height, age and weight. However, research is beginning to show that not all calories are created equally. The composition of the food, not just the caloric value, affects weight loss and overall health. For instance, table sugar is considered a simple carbohydrate with no additional nutritional value except providing energy or calories. When sugar is eaten, insulin levels increase in the body, which in turn allows cells to receive more glucose than may otherwise be needed. Glucose that enters the cells, but is not utilized or burned, is then stored as fat. Two cups of spinach, on the other hand, which has the same caloric value as one teaspoon of table sugar, has a different nutrient composition, more positively affecting a person's overall wellness and resulting weight loss differently. Spinach has very little simple carbohydrates and does not cause an insulin spike and resulting fat storage like that of table sugar.
One well-known diet is based on points, wherein point values are assigned to each particular piece of food. The diet requires that the dieter, when the points are added together, not exceed a certain point value. The points relate to a formula which considers only the calories, fat and fiber, not the nutritional value or wellness impact, of the food. Additionally, only positive point values are assigned. In other words, the score only moves up, but does not move down, and thus, it is hard to determine individual setbacks. In addition, this particular diet is cumbersome and difficult to follow as it requires that the person determine the point value for each individual food item. These types of diets may seem insurmountable because the dieter may want to lose in excess of 50 lbs. Additionally, dieters become discouraged by limited food choices and it is hard to monitor human behaviors. In addition, this type of diet does not factor in behaviors and activities, other than physical activity. Furthermore, this type of diet requires the use of a traditional food log.
Traditional food logs have proven to be an ineffective strategy for weight loss when viewed in light of the ever enlarging waistlines of the human population. In fact, there are a number of shortcomings with tradition food logs. For example, it is unpractical for people to precisely log every food item that is consumed in a typical day. It becomes particularly burdensome when eating at restaurants, because the portion size and ingredient list is not always readily available. Furthermore, food logging is tedious and time-consuming. For instance, in a particular point-based diet, the dieter must weigh and measure each and every food item for a precise calculation relating to every calorie consumed. Additionally, it is not immediately clear the portion of, for example, a 6 oz. serving of fish. Traditional food logs focus on calories and not the quality of foods consumed or the dietary recommendations of the individual dieter.
Behaviors people perform each day may either negatively or positively impact overall wellness, including the risk of diseases, cancers, health conditions, life expectancies, and body weight. Studies have shown that 40% of all deaths in the United States are linked to four behaviors: poor nutrition, low levels of physical activity, smoking and exposure to smoke and alcohol consumption. It is widely recognized that eating a balanced diet, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising and getting enough sleep are all healthy behaviors which positively impact the physiological and psychological well-being of human beings. Likewise, eating too much fast food, consuming saturated fat and/or trans-fats, being sedentary and not getting enough sleep are all un-healthy behaviors that negatively impact the physiological and psychological well-being of human beings. Wellness and weight management are multi-dimensional health concerns that these types of regimes do not fully address.
Therefore, in spite of existing dietary plans, a need exists to overcome the problems with the prior art as discussed above. Namely, a need exists for a system and method for wellness and weight control that provides feedback about impactful wellness behaviors as well as providing a convenient and simplistic ability to track daily health and wellness factors.